The Life of John Taylor: Third President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day SaintsRoberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
History
The Life of John Taylor: Third President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Latter Day Saint churches; Taylor, John, 1808-1887
"I believe in God, in Jesus Christ, and in the exaltation of the human
family, and consequently have acted and do act in accordance with that
belief. If others choose to do otherwise, that is their business.
'But,' says one, 'don't you want to send them all to hell?' No, I
don't; but I would be glad to get them out of it; and if I could do
them any good, I would do it with pleasure. I do not believe in this
wrath and dread, but if a man acts meanly I will tell him that he is a
poor, mean cur. Then if I find him hungry, I would feed him; or if I
found him naked, I would clothe him; for the gospel teaches me to do
good and benefit mankind as far as lies in my power.
"I remember reading a few lines of some very zealous Protestant who
wrote over some public building:
"'In this place may enter
Greek, Jew or Atheist,--
Any thing but a Papist.'
"Now, I say, let the Papist come in, too, the Moslem, the Greek, the
Jew, the pagan, the believers and the unbelievers, and the whole world.
If God sends His rain on the good and the evil, and makes His sun to
shine on the just and the unjust, I certainly shall not object. Let
them worship as they please and have full freedom and equal rights and
privileges with us and all men."
It will be seen from the foregoing that while he claimed absolute
religious liberty for himself, he accorded the same right to others.
"There are two things," he remarks, "that I have felt very decided upon
ever since I could comprehend anything; one is that I would worship God
as I pleased, without anybody's dictation; and that I would dictate to
no man his faith, neither should any man dictate to me my faith; the
other is that I would vote as I pleased."
Of the deep religious convictions of President Taylor it is scarcely
necessary to speak. His whole life demonstrates how deep was the
religious soil in his nature, into which the seeds of truth were sown
to bring forth an hundred fold. His devotion to his religion was not
only sincere, it was without reserve. He gave himself and his whole
life to it. His faith, his trust and confidence in God were complete.
"I do not believe in a religion that cannot have all my affections," he
would sometimes remark, "but I believe in a religion that I can live
for, or die for.
"I would rather trust in the living God than in any other power on
earth. I learned [while on missions] that I could go to God and He
always relieved me. He always supplied my wants. I always had plenty
to eat, drink and wear, and could ride on steam-boats or railroads, or
anywhere I thought proper: God always opened my way, and so He will
that of every man who will put his trust in Him.
"I would rather have God for my friend than all other influences and
powers outside."
Such were his sentiments, such his devotion to his religion, such his
testimony to the goodness of God.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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